Relative change in EADhttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/relative-change-in-ead
Relative change in annual expected damage (EAD)No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: Joint Research Centre (JRC).climate changefloods2012/11/29 11:26:00 GMT+1FigureWater management in Europe faces rising challenges as ecosystems weaken http://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/water-management-in-europe-faces
Water pollution and excessive water use are still harming ecosystems, which are indispensable to Europe’s food, energy, and water supplies. To maintain water ecosystems, farming, planning, energy and transport sectors need to actively engage in managing water within sustainable limits.

Strong ecosystems should be maintained, partly because they provide vital services which are often overlooked, the report says. For example, restoring a wetland is not only good for biodiversity but also water filtration, water retention and flood prevention. Although essential, these services are not accounted for in current financial and economic systems.

“Water is finite, and cannot continue to absorb limitless amounts of pollution without damaging the resources and ecosystems we rely on,” Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director, said. “Farmers, planners and companies need to cooperate more, to make sure that the combined pressures on ecosystems do not pass harmful limits.”

Ecosystems are under pressure. Less than half (48 %) of Europe's surface water bodies are likely to be in good ecological status by 2015, as specified by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). To meet this target, water bodies must further reduce nutrient pollution and restore more natural features. The effects of these problems are clear – 63 % of lakes and river habitats in the EU are reported to have an ‘unfavourable’ conservation status.

Modification of water bodies is harming ecosystems. The extent of modification of water bodies – the ‘hydromorphological status’ – is also a problem in 52 % of surface waters. Artificial modifications such as dams or reservoirs can prevent plants and animals from migrating or reproducing.

Pollution problems in European waters. Nitrate pollution from agricultural fertilisers is the most long-term pollution problem for European surface waters. At the current rate of improvement, nitrate levels will still be too high for several decades to come, the report notes. Phosphates and ammonia pollution are reducing more quickly, due to better waste water treatment. This improvement is visible in the improving water quality at bathing sites across Europe – in 2011, 92.1 % of sites met the minimum standards.

Agriculture and other sectors are using water inefficiently. Water scarcity is caused by human demands exceeding the available freshwater resources, adding to the ‘water deficit’ during summer droughts in many parts of Europe.

Drought is increasing across Europe. The number of countries affected by drought per decade increased from 15 in the period 1971–1980 to 28 in the period 2001–2011. Climate change is expected to exacerbate this problem.

Flooding is becoming more frequent, especially in Northern Europe. More than 325 major river floods have been reported in Europe since 1980, of which more than 200 have been reported since 2000.This is partly caused by increased building in flood prone areas. Projected climate change is expected to lead to more floods in many areas.

Looking ahead to responsive water resources management

Solutions to many of Europe’s water problems have been analysed in the European Commission’s Water Blueprint, published in 2012. The EEA report, launched today at the Blueprint conference in Cyprus, underpins the Blueprint’s recommendations and provides a baseline for monitoring progress.

New incentives can help Europe reduce the amount of water that is wasted, according to the EEA report. Suggested measures include reconsidering pricing structures for water use or domestic metering. However, incentives introduced with other policy objectives in mind can also encourage wasteful behaviour, for example some governments subsidise water use or encourage water-intense crops in dry areas.

Farming remains one of the largest pressures on Europe’s water resources, so agriculture and the food industry are major actors in significantly improving the situation. In the future, payments to farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy should consider their overall effect on water resources, the report says.

Energy production is another sector with a high impact on water in Europe. Biofuel production can be water intensive, while hydropower plants often divert water used for other sources. Extracting non-conventional oil and gas resources can also lead to water pollution. Careful planning can balance these demands against the needs of ecosystems, the report says.

Overall, river basins need to be further managed with constructive dialogue between the many stakeholders in the area. Public participation and the development of a strong knowledge base are paramount to engage into this dialogue.

The report states that the river basin is the best geographical scale for making accurate ’water accounts’– in effect asset management to balance the incoming and outgoing resources. Upcoming challenges for water resource management can only be met when water managers have the right information at their fingertips.

]]>No publisherecosystem servicesgreen economynitratesclimate changewaterwater pollutionfloodsresource efficiency2012/11/26 09:00:00 GMT+1Press ReleaseNumber of people affected by flooding per million population in the WHO European Region http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/people-per-million-population-affected
Number of people affected by flooding per million population in the WHO European Region (total over the period 2000–2011).
‘People affected’, as defined in EM-DAT, are people who require immediate assistance during a period of emergency, including displaced or evacuated people.
EM-DAT/CRED and the Dartmouth Flood Observatory were analysed to determine the flooded countries in the WHO European Region and the impact of these floods.
No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe).climate changehuman healthfloods2012/11/20 20:15:00 GMT+1FigureClimate change evident across Europe, confirming urgent need for adaptationhttp://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/climate-change-evident-across-europe
Climate change is affecting all regions in Europe, causing a wide range of impacts on society and the environment. Further impacts are expected in the future, potentially causing high damage costs, according to the latest assessment published by the European Environment Agency today.The report, ‘Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2012’ finds that higher average temperatures have been observed across Europe as well as decreasing precipitation in southern regions and increasing precipitation in northern Europe. The Greenland ice sheet, Arctic sea ice and many glaciers across Europe are melting, snow cover has decreased and most permafrost soils have warmed.

Extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods and droughts have caused rising damage costs across Europe in recent years. While more evidence is needed to discern the part played by climate change in this trend, growing human activity in hazard-prone areas has been a key factor. Future climate change is expected to add to this vulnerability, as extreme weather events are expected to become more intense and frequent. If European societies do not adapt, damage costs are expected to continue to rise, according to the report.

Some regions will be less able to adapt to climate change than others, in part due to economic disparities across Europe, the report says. The effects of climate change could deepen these inequalities.

Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director said: “Climate change is a reality around the world, and the extent and speed of change is becoming ever more evident. This means that every part of the economy, including households, needs to adapt as well as reduce emissions.”

Observed climate change and future projections – some key findings

The last decade (2002–2011) was the warmest on record in Europe, with European land temperature 1.3° C warmer than the pre-industrial average. Various model projections show that Europe could be 2.5–4° C warmer in the later part of the 21st Century, compared to the 1961–1990 average.

Heat waves have increased in frequency and length, causing tens of thousands of deaths over the last decade. The projected increase in heat waves could increase the number of related deaths over the next decades, unless societies adapt, the report says. However, cold-related deaths are projected to decrease in many countries.

While precipitation is decreasing in southern regions, it is increasing in northern Europe, the report says. These trends are projected to continue. Climate change is projected to increase river flooding, particularly in northern Europe, as higher temperatures intensify the water cycle. However, it is difficult to discern the influence of climate change in flooding data records for the past.

River flow droughts appear to have become more severe and frequent in southern Europe. Minimum river flows are projected to decrease significantly in summer in southern Europe but also in many other parts of Europe to varying degrees.

The Arctic is warming faster than other regions. Record low sea ice was observed in the Arctic in 2007, 2011 and 2012, falling to roughly half the minimum extent seen in the 1980s. Melting of the Greenland ice sheet has doubled since the 1990s, losing an average of 250 billion tonnes of mass every year between 2005 and 2009. Glaciers in the Alps have lost approximately two thirds of their volume since 1850 and these trends are projected to continue.

Sea levels are rising, raising the risk of coastal flooding during storm events. Global average sea level has risen by 1.7mm a year in the 20th century, and by 3mm a year in recent decades. Future projections vary widely, but it is likely that 21st century sea-level rise will be greater than during the 20th century. However sea level rise at European coasts varies, for example due to local land movement.

Besides heat-related health impacts, other human health effects are also important, the report says. Climate change plays a part in the transmission of certain diseases. For example, it allows the tick species Ixodes ricinus to thrive further north, while further warming may make parts of Europe more suitable for disease-carrying mosquitos and sandflies. The pollen season is longer and arrives 10 days earlier than 50 years ago, also affecting human health.

Many studies have measured widespread changes in plant and animal characteristics. For example, plants are flowering earlier in the year, while in freshwater phytoplankton and zooplankton blooms are also appearing earlier. Other animals and plants are moving northward or uphill as their habitats warm. Since the migration rate of many species is insufficient to keep pace with the speed of climate change, they could be pushed towards extinction in the future.

While there may be less water available for agriculture in southern Europe, growing conditions may improve in other areas. The growing season for several crops in Europe has lengthened and this is projected to continue, alongside the expansion of warm-season crops into more northerly latitudes.However the yield is projected to fall for some crops due to heat waves and droughts in central and southern Europe.

As temperatures rise, demand for heating has also fallen, saving energy. However, this must be balanced against higher energy demands for cooling during hotter summers.

Background

The report is intended to show the full extent of climate change impacts across Europe, also informing the European Commission’s European Adaptation Strategy to be published in March 2013. Moreover, the EEA will support the strategy with an assessment of a selection of adaptation actions across Europe, to be published in early 2013.

The website Climate-ADAPT includes a large amount of information intended to assist in developing and implementing climate change adaptation.

]]>No publisherclimate change impactsglobal warmingadaptationheat wavesfloodsclimate change adaptationArctic regiondroughts2012/11/19 13:21:10 GMT+1Press ReleaseHow vulnerable could your city be to climate impacts? http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/how-vulnerable-is-your-city
Climate change will affect Europe's cities in different ways. To give an overall impression of the challenge for European cities to adapt to climate change, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has published a series of detailed interactive maps, allowing users to explore data from more than 500 cities across Europe. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of river floods and extreme temperature events in many parts of Europe. If heavy rain caused rivers to rise by one metre, which European cities could be most at risk from flooding? Which cities could provide relief during heat waves with large green areas and which city designs could most exacerbate the effect of heat waves? What are the capacities of different European cities to cope with climate change impacts and to adapt to future changes?

The recently published EEA report 'Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe' provides initial answers to these and similar questions. Several maps included in the report are now also made available on the interactive Eye on Earth information service. The interactive maps allow users to explore data from more than 500 cities in Europe and get a quick impression of some of the adaptation challenges in Europe’s cities. For example, the map below shows aspects of vulnerability to heat waves.

Heat wave risk: The interactive map shows three types of information layers: 1. The share of green urban areas that could provide cooling during heat waves. 2. The population density per city which is associated with variables such as the lack of green space, high building mass storing heat and anthropogenic heat production that can intensify the ‘urban heat island’ effect. 3. Modelled climate change projections on the number of combined tropical nights and hot days for the period 2071 - 2100.

More interactive functions for this map can be found on the Eye on Earth website. Here, users can combine different datasets from the report, for example combining the heat wave map with information showing the share of elderly people who are generally more sensitive to heat. Users can also choose to incorporate datasets made available by other organisations or individuals through Eye on Earth.

Climate-ADAPT

The EEA also hosts Climate-ADAPT in cooperation with the European Commission. Climate-ADAPT is the European Union's most advanced platform for sharing data and information on adaptation to climate change.

Links

]]>No publisherfloodsurban planningclimate changeheat wavescities2012/09/04 09:00:00 GMT+1NewsUrban flooding — impervious surfaces reduce the drainage of rain water and increase the risk for urban floodinghttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/urban-flooding-2014-impervious-surfaces
The map shows the average soil sealing degree inside the UMZ of European core cities (core city defined in Urban Atlas / Urban Audit). Soil sealing degrees are represented in coloured dots. The city dots are overlaid onto a modelled map displaying the change in annual number of days with heavy rainfall between the reference periods 1961-1990 and 2071-2100. No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).climate change impactsurbanrain waterfloods2012/05/21 14:38:06 GMT+1FigurePercentage of the urban area that would be flooded — share of cities per class per country http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/percentage-of-the-urban-area.9
The diagram shows the proportion of cities per country that fall in a particular class regarding the percentage of potentially flooded area.No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).climate change impactsurbancitiesfloods2012/05/21 14:22:29 GMT+1FigurePercentage of the city that would be flooded in case rivers rise one metrehttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/percentage-of-the-city-that
Percentage of the city that would be flooded in case water in rivers rises 1 m (only cities > 100 000 hab). The city is defined by its biophysical delineation (Urban Morphological Zone) inside the core city boundaries (Urban Audit). The background shows the relative change in 100-year return level of river discharge. Neither coastal floods nor flood protection measures are considered in the calculations. 100 000 hab). The city is defined by its biophysical delineation (Urban Morphological Zone) inside the core city boundaries (Urban Audit). The background shows the relative change in 100-year return level of river discharge. Neither coastal floods nor flood protection measures are considered in the calculations.]]>No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).urbancitiesclimate changefloods2012/05/21 14:03:04 GMT+1FigureUrban adaptation to climate change in Europehttp://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/urban-adaptation-to-climate-change
Challenges and opportunities for cities together with supportive national and European policiesNo publisherdroughtsurban planningclimate change adaptationfloodscitiesextreme eventsextreme weather events2012/05/14 10:00:00 GMT+1PublicationFloods Directive viewerhttp://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/floods-directive-viewer
What is on this Floods Directive map? River Basin Districts (RBDs) are the main units for the management of river basins and have been delineated by Member States under Article 3 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). For the Floods Directive (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/flood_risk/), Member States were given the choice to use either the WFD River Basin Districts, or to designate other Units of Management (UoM) for specific river basins or stretches of coastal areas under article 3 of that Directive. For the majority of RBDs, EU Member States used the same ones as for the WFD. The geographic area of some RBDs span more than one country (such as the Danube) and these are known as International RBDs. Others (the minority) are contained completely within a country and are known as National RBDs. No publisherwaterfloodswisefloods directivewater quantity2012/01/20 01:00:00 GMT+1GIS Map ApplicationFloods Directivehttp://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/by-category/floods-directive
Collection of maps for the Water Information System for Europe (WISE) under the Floods Directive.The objective of the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) is to establish a framework for the assessment and management of flood risks to reduce the negative consequences of flooding on human health, economic activities, the environment and cultural heritage in the European Union.]]>No publisherwaterfloodswisefloods directivewater quantity2012/01/20 00:00:00 GMT+1Collection - old styleNew IPCC report addresses risks of extreme events and disastershttp://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/new-ipcc-report-addresses-risks-2
It is "virtually certain" that warm weather extreme events will become more frequent this century, according to a new summary report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 18 November. In order to explore ways of adapting to heatwaves and other extreme events potentially exacerbated in future by climate change, the IPCC has brought together a range of scientific and professional expertise.The IPCC summary report, 'Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation', aimed to integrate expertise in climate science, disaster risk management and adaptation in order to explore reducing and managing the risks of extreme events and disasters in a changing climate.

The report evaluates the role of climate change in altering characteristics of extreme events, looking at a wide range of options used by institutions, organisations, and communities to reduce exposure and vulnerability to climate extremes while improving resilience. The report uses carefully calibrated language to describe the robustness of key findings, which depends on many factors such as the completeness of weather observations and the level of agreement between different climate models.

Findings from the summary report include:

It is virtually certain that increases in the frequency of warm daily temperature extremes and decreases in cold extremes will occur throughout the 21st Century on a global scale.

Authors cited a medium level of confidence that droughts will intensify over the coming century in southern Europe and the Mediterranean region, as well as central Europe and several other world regions.

It is likely that heavy precipitation will increase in the 21st century over many areas of the globe, including in winter in the northern mid-latitudes.

Projected precipitation and temperature changes imply changes in floods, although overall there is low confidence at the global scale that climate change will alter the magnitude or frequency of river related flooding. This uncertainty is due to limited evidence and the complexity of the causes of regional changes.

Economic losses from weather- and climate-related disasters vary from year to year and place to place, but overall have increased, authors said with a high level of confidence. They also expressed similar confidence in the fact that total economic losses from natural disasters are higher in developed countries; however economic losses expressed as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are higher in developing countries.

Deaths from natural disasters occur much more in developing countries (high level of confidence).

Economic losses from weather- and climate-related disasters have increased in the long-term, as people and economic assets have been increasingly exposed to risks. For example, more people are living where they may be adversely affected by disasters (high level of confidence).

There was a high level of agreement that "Many measures for managing current and future risks, when implemented effectively, make sense under a range of future climates". These "low regrets" measures include systems that warn people of impending disasters; changes in land use planning; sustainable land management; ecosystem management; improvements in health surveillance, water supplies, and drainage systems; development and enforcement of building codes; as well as better education and awareness.

Risk management works best when tailored to local circumstances. Combining local knowledge with additional scientific and technical expertise helps communities reduce their risk and adapt to climate change (robust evidence, high level of agreement).

Additional information

]]>No publisherclimate change impactsIPCCclimate changeglobal warmingclimate change adaptationdisastersfloodsdroughtsextreme weather events2011/11/23 10:30:00 GMT+1NewsSafe water and healthy water services in a changing environmenthttp://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/safe-water-and-healthy-water
This report summarises existing knowledge
of climate change impacts on water services and
health; the nature and effectiveness of the policy
response; and the coverage and gaps in existing
assessments of these themes.No publisherwater serviceswater scarcitysafe waterclimate changewater managementwaterhealthfloodsextreme eventsdroughts2011/07/05 13:58:18 GMT+1PublicationMapping the impacts of natural hazards and technological accidents in Europehttp://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/mapping-the-impacts-of-natural
The report assesses the occurrence and impacts of disasters and the underlying hazards such as storms, extreme temperature events, forest fires, water scarcity and droughts, floods, snow avalanches, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes and technological accidents in Europe for the period 1998-2009.No publisherclimate changeminingnatural disastersdroughtstechnological hazardsvolcanic eruptionsgeophysical hazardsstormslandslidesrisk managementrisk reductionforest firesearthquakesoil spillstoxic spillsextreme temperaturesemissions reductionhydrometeorological hazardsgreen economyspatial analysiswater scarcityavalanchesfloodsindustrial accidentsnatural hazardsextreme events2011/01/12 20:25:00 GMT+1PublicationDisasters in Europe: more frequent and causing more damagehttp://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/natural-hazards-and-technological-accidents
The number and impacts of disasters have increased in Europe in the period 1998-2009, a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) concludes. The report assesses the frequency of disasters and their impacts on humans, the economy and ecosystems and calls for better integrated risk disaster management across Europe.The Agency's new report 'Mapping the impacts of natural hazards and technological accidents in Europe' addresses three different types of hazards: hydrometeorological or weather related (storms, extreme temperature events, forest fires, droughts, floods), geophysical (snow avalanches, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes) and technological (oil spills, industrial accidents, toxic spills from mining activities).

The increase in losses can be explained to a large extent by higher levels of human activity and accumulation of economic assets in hazard-prone areas, but also, to a smaller extent, by better reporting. Although the share of losses attributable to climate change is currently impossible to determine accurately, it is likely to increase in the future, since the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are projected to grow.

Key facts and findings

In the period covered by the report, disasters caused nearly 100 000 fatalities, affected more than 11 million people and led to economic losses of about EUR 150 billion.

The number and impacts of geophysical hazards appeared relatively stable during the period covered. Earthquakes caused most harm with almost 19 000 recorded fatalities and overall losses of about EUR 29 billion.

Technological accidents caused the most severe ecosystem impacts. The oil spills from the tankers Erika (1999) and Prestige (2002) caused some of the worst ecological disasters in European waters and the toxic waste spills from the mining activities in Aznacollar, Spain (1999), and Baia Mare, Romania (2000), seriously affected the environment not only in the immediate aftermath, but also in the long term.

Disaster risk reduction and management

Although some EU policies have already been adopted or initiated, more effort is needed to implement an Integrated Risk Management (IRM) approach that includes prevention, preparedness, response and recovery for all hazards across Europe. Some measures are best suited to be managed at household or municipal level, such as the improvement of natural drainage to prevent pluvial flooding or suitable care and housing for elderly people that can buffer the effects of heat waves.

Information gaps and data needs

Successful disaster risk reduction and management rely on solid evidence. Despite recent improvements in the information and databases on several types of hazards, establishing more comprehensive information systems would significantly improve the analysis and assessment of the impacts.